A Wizard's Tool
by ReverseRaven
Summary: Young Nathan is a student of magic, still only just learning the ropes. However, the world of magic is changing. Fantastic beasts are being summoned in from another world, performing feats that would take a young wizard many years to do by himself. Tensions rise as two ideologies emerge, and soon they stand on the verge of civil war. Cast adrift by the storm, will he sink or swim?
1. First Contact

Author's Notes: Hi all. This is a really random idea I got about 2 weeks ago, and I couldn't get it out of my head so I figured I may as well write it down. I tried to edit it as best as I could, but it's possible some things slipped through the cracks. I will be continuing this as I have a bunch of ideas already for what will happen next, but I'd love to hear what people think about it.

* * *

Nathan held the round, flat object in the palm of his right hand, knowing full well that doing so could kill him. One stray thought and he could wind up incinerating himself. Master Eckart had assured him the amulet itself no power and only served as a focus, but he could almost swear there was energy vibrating within it.

"Put that down before you kill yourself," a stern voice said, jolting him out of his thoughts.

"Master Eckart!" He quickly dropped the amulet on top of his study table, remembering where he was.

Shelves of books on magical theory lined the walls, making the library seem smaller than it was. He was seated on one of the chairs around a sturdy, oak table. Master Eckart stood at the doorway, his tall frame radiating the authority and power befitting a mage with a seat on the Circle Council. He wore a clean, black suit and matching trousers that went well with his graying hair. He did not look pleased.

"How many times do I have to tell you not to fondle your amulet so absentmindedly? Magic is not a toy." He strode forward, snatching the amulet out of Nathan's hand before the boy could respond. "In case you forgot, this device makes it easier to cast magic. What if you'd accidentally thought of a flame and set the library on fire? Hm? Would I mail you back to that father of yours in a box?"

"I'm sorry, Master, it won't happen again." Nathan reached for the amulet, but Eckart kept it firmly out of his reach.

"I've heard that before." Eckart slipped the amulet into one of his inner pockets. "You'll get it back when it's time for live practice. Not a moment before."

"Yes, Master Eckart."

"Fortunately for you, that's in about an hour, anyway." The older wizard turned to leave. "Until then, prepare yourself as best as you can."

Despite getting his amulet confiscated, Nathan couldn't help but grin. Live practice was always his favorite part of this apprenticeship. "What are we doing today, Master?"

"You three are going to work together to fight some monsters," Eckart said. "I won't tell you which ones. Be prepared for anything."

"Will do, Master." Nathan bowed his head respectfully, and then he was alone in the room once more.

Other than himself, Master Eckart had taken in two other apprentices: Megara Brightmore and Landon Alister, both of whom he'd met in the Academy. While magic was generally taught at the Academy, gifted mages like Richard Eckart had the prerogative to invite students to become apprentices, learning the tricks of the trade straight from them. Academy graduates tended to be more well-rounded due to having a regulated curriculum, but apprentices got farther in their chosen spheres of magic thanks to their additional freedom and their master's teachings. Fortunately for them, Master Eckart was proficient in every sphere of magic, although better at some than others.

Nathan sighed. If the three of them were going to fight as a team, then it would be best if he found the other two and shared what he knew. With that, he left the library, hoping he wouldn't get lost in Eckart's massive home. As he reached the hallway, however, he stopped. There was no guarantee he'd be able to find either Megara or Landon in an hour, and trying to send them a Message by magic would be a pain without his amulet. Instead, Nathan turned around, heading for his quarters. He'd prepared a little something he'd been meaning to show off.

* * *

They assembled in what used to be one of the manor's gardens, now re-purposed to be a training yard where they could practice magic in relative safety. High walls surrounded them, all stronger than they looked thanks to warding magic. Master Eckart was nowhere to be seen, but Nathan had a feeling he'd be along any moment. By the time Nathan arrived, his fellow apprentices were already there. He walked over to them, the suitcase he'd taken from his room in hand.

Landon saw him first. "Nathan, there you are. We were wondering if you'd gotten lost again."

"That happened one time, Landon," Nathan protested. They'd been in the house three months, but he'd never admit he still got lost on occasion.

Landon just grinned at him smugly, his spectacles twinkling in the afternoon sun. He was a lanky fellow who stood half a head taller than Nathan, with a head of light brown hair as opposed to Nathan's jet black. Despite how Nathan was in slightly better physical condition, having a little more muscle because of the field of magic he studied, Landon was the superior caster, and never wasted a chance to rub it in.

"Have you seen Master Eckart?" Megara asked. She was the only female caster in the household, wearing the same tunic and trousers they wore. Her hair was cut short, not even reaching her shoulders. Whatever color it had originally been, it was doubtful anyone remembered, as she'd made it a point to learn how to change its color with magic before almost any other spell. Right now, it was a pale shade of pink.

"I saw him in the study about an hour ago," Nathan said, omitting the part where his amulet had been confiscated. "He said we'd be working together for today's practice."

"And what, exactly, is today's practice?" Landon looked down at the suitcase. "Wait, what is that you're holding?"

"A little help, should we need it." Nathan placed the case on the floor. He'd been working hard on getting this spell right and now seemed the perfect time to show it off.

Megara watched their exchange, but said nothing.

Master Eckart's voice startled them all to attention. "Well, you seem to be in high spirits this afternoon, my apprentices." The aging wizard seemed to have appeared as if by magic on the terrace overlooking the former garden. Just how long has he been watching? Nathan wondered.

"Master, is it true we'll be working together today?" Megara asked.

"That is correct, Megara." Master Eckart leaned forward, then inclined his head in Nathan's direction. "Did Nathan tell you what you'll be doing?"

Landon and Megara turned towards him, looking annoyed.

"I was going to tell you, but then you asked about the case and-"

"You're going to fight monsters today," Eckart said, once again commanding their attention. "Well, just one, really, but I dare say it might take all three of you to keep it under control."

Landon grinned. "I see. Is this because of the tensions forming between us traditionalists and the reformists?"

Nathan quirked an eye at that. He'd never really paid much attention to politics, but even he knew that their master was a staunch traditionalist.

"Bah. Tensions." Eckart grimaced. "We're a few months away from civil war, mark my words. However, now is time for practical training, not a lesson in politics. Observe, the tool of our enemy!"

Master Eckart performed a gesture, clasping the amulet that hung around his neck. Nathan couldn't hear them, but he had an idea of the words his master was using to focus the mana in the air. Casting a flame or forming a shield of rock took simple commands in one's own language, but summoning took precise articulation of words of power. When the spell was complete, a bright flash erupted in the area. A hole formed in the very air, like an open doorway connecting two places.

A large beast stepped forth from the tear between worlds, landing with an earthshaking impact as its four short legs hit the ground. It was a creature of stone, yet unlike any golem Nathan had ever seen. There was a sentience, perhaps even intelligence, in its eyes that said it was alive despite how its body was armored in rocky plates. A single horn protruded from the top of its snout, not particularly large or menacing, but Nathan held no illusions that it wouldn't hurt.

As with all the other monsters, this one spoke its name and nothing else.

"Rhyhorn!"

Nathan's heart hammered in his chest. It was bigger than he'd expected, almost as tall as he was even on four legs. Eckart had always been a firm master, but he didn't think he'd start them off with something so intimidating.

"And Nathan, here," his master said, hurling a bundle of cloth at him. He caught it, looking inside to find his amulet. He nodded in thanks before slipping it around his neck, feeling complete once again.

The beast pawed at the ground as if preparing to charge. Nathan's fingers found their way to the suitcase's locking mechanism. With a swift click the case fell open, and out tumbled what he'd been preparing for weeks. As the pieces fell to the ground, Nathan began to go through the gestures, chanting words of power that he'd spent days committing to memory. He felt the mana in the air enter his body, and manifest as a spell. Pre-constructed spells like this one were all about the words, but the hand movements made it easier, more mana-efficient.

Within moments, the bones he'd gathered, a full skeleton, joined together. The undead construct rose to kneel before him, its empty eye sockets pointed towards the ground. Nathan nodded, glad he'd managed to pull it off properly.

"Rise," he said, and the skeleton obeyed. "Pick up your weapons." The skeleton took the buckler and short sword he'd placed with it inside the suitcase, taking up a ready stance. In retrospect, he wished he'd packed something else in there. He doubted a short sword would do much against the Rhyhorn.

"That's totally not freaky," Megara said.

"Hey, if Master Eckart can summon a fighter, so can I," Nathan countered.

Master Eckart couldn't help but comment. "A decent skeletal warrior. Looks sturdy and clean. Where did you get the bones?"

"Supply room," Nathan admitted. "Actually, I think they might not be real bones. They felt too smooth."

"You're not wrong. I kept a few artificial skeletons in there for practice," Eckart admitted. "Shall we see how well it does against this Rhyhorn?"

"I'd rather not," Nathan said, not falling for the bait. "The beast's opponents are all of us."

"Good, then let us begin."

Before anyone could say another word, the Rhyhorn charged forward, scattering earth in its wake. Nathan thought fast, focusing his thoughts into a command.

 _Earth, protect._

He formed a fist with his hand as he imagined the soil forming around his skeletal fighter, hardening into armor. A surge of heat flowed through his body, blurring his vision. He swore, realizing he'd used too much mana in quick succession, and it was taking its toll.

The charging beast collided with the skeleton's shield, and he heard Megara let out a gasp when the humanoid figure held firm against such a heavy-looking opponent. The others wasted no time in taking advantage of the opening.

Megara hurled blasts of fire and lightning at the Rhyhorn with her hands, each strike strong enough to maim any man. Nathan felt the heat in his body dissipate as a cool wind blew over him. Surprised, he looked for its source.

Landon smirked. "Fool, don't use so much mana at once or you'll burn out."

Nathan nodded, grateful to be able to cast again despite the insult. The Rhyhorn pulled back from the skeleton's shield, completely unfazed by Megara's bombardment. In fact, its horn seemed to even absorb her lightning bolts.

Megara frowned. "My attacks barely scratched it."

"Maybe if we all struck together?" Nathan suggested.

"Couldn't hurt."

Nathan focused the the ambient mana once more, this time for offense.

 _Earth, bury._

He thrust his arms forward, visualizing waves of earth rising to swallow the Rhyhorn. Instead, chunks of soil flew from the ground, striking the Rhyhorn with force, causing it to reel backwards. It wasn't as good as he'd hoped, but then, offensive Sourcery had never been his forte.

Megara followed up with another volley of flame and lightning. Landon didn't attack, but the refreshing breeze that kept Nathan's body cool told him he was helping out in his own way.

The Rhyhorn fell to its knees, face almost buried in the ground. Just as Nathan was about to yell they'd done it, however, a green glow surrounded the creature. Nathan looked up, sensing the use of mana from the balcony. Master Eckart was healing the beast!

"Master, I believe you said we were fighting the monster, not you," Nathan protested.

"Don't be naive, my apprentices," Eckart answered. "If the Reformists come after you, they will support their beasts with magic. Of that you can be sure."

As the Rhyhorn got back on its feet, a red aura surrounded it. Nathan had never seen such a spell before. Fortunately, he wasn't dealing with it alone.

"It's a Lesser Strength spell," Landon said. "Bolsters muscle strength by a percentage for a few minutes."

"We can still take it," Megara said, throwing a ball of flame at the Rhyhorn, and then a second one. They made direct hits, exploding on contact. The Rhyhorn looked annoyed, but not particularly harmed. Well, Nathan could play this game, too.

 _Stone, bolster._

Rocks flew towards the skeleton's blade, forming a weapon that resembled a stone club more than a sword. "Attack!" he said, and the skeleton dashed forward, earthen armor and all. The club came down on the Rhyhorn's face, but it seemed to shrug the blow off like nothing. Nathan shook his head. The earth attack from earlier had worked, but now a direct hit from the stone club didn't? Had the beast's power increased that much?

The Rhyhorn's eyes practically gleamed with delight as it threw its head back, throwing the heavily armored skeleton airborne in a single movement. Then, just as it was about to crash to the ground, the stone beast charged and slammed into it a second time, sending it flying into a wall. The skeleton burst in a loud crash, scattering earth and bone on the ground.

Nathan felt his knees go weak, but did his best not to fall to the ground. He'd spent the better part of a month preparing to use that spell, and his master's summoned monster had destroyed it in an instant. The Rhyhorn roared in victory before turning to the three apprentices. Nathan gathered himself and refocused his efforts. Now was not the time for weakness.

 _Earth, bury._

He'd already tried that phrase, but now he visualized the earth opening up to swallow the Rhyhorn. He began gasping rapidly as sweat poured from his brow, the exhaustion driving him to his knees. A hole appeared beneath the beast, but nowhere near as large as what Nathan had imagined. He cursed. Why was he so weak?

The Rhyhorn's left foreleg sunk into the hole, and the beast lost its balance. As if he'd been waiting for just such a chance, Landon spoke a brief incantation, blasting the Rhyhorn with a barrage of blue energy bolts. They struck true, erupting into small explosions on contact. Once the smoke cleared, the Rhyhorn was on the ground, unconscious.

All were silent for a moment, as none of the three teenagers felt assured that they'd actually won. Nathan expected it to open its eyes at any moment and finish them off, although he doubted Master Eckart would go that far. An unusual sound coming from the balcony broke the silence. It took Nathan a moment to realize it for what it was: Applause.

"Excellent work, my apprentices," Master Eckart said. "I'd fully expected the beast to win this one, but you did well."

"That beast was ridiculously powerful," Megara said, staring at her hands. "My attacks had no effect on it at all."

"Actually, the Rhyhorn isn't particularly strong," Eckart said, shocking his apprentices. "Far from being the weakest, but not particularly powerful. Do you know why you had such difficulty with it?"

Nathan wondered about that, too. It seemed some attacks worked better against it than others. It was unharmed by fire and lightning, but for some reason it had flinched when he'd pelted it with earth. After some thought, he had an idea. Landon, as always, beat him to it.

"It has an elemental affinity," Landon spoke. "Each of these monsters does, actually, and it grants them both weaknesses and resistances."

Nathan sighed. He'd been so close to saying the exact same thing.

"Very good, Landon, I see you've done your research," Master Eckart said. "We don't have an exhaustive list of their abilities, but there is a tome on the known monsters in the library should you wish to learn more. This Rhyhorn is weak against water, nature, and earth, to name a few, but there are others. It is resistant to fire, and completely immune to lightning."

"That explains so much." Megara shook her head. Nathan couldn't tell if her annoyance was directed towards the creature, or herself.

"I chose it to teach you a lesson in particular, Megara," Eckart said. "You're very good at rapidly attacking with fire and lightning, but sticking to only two methods of attack will get you nowhere against these beasts. That's why Landon's decision to use a non-elemental spell was effective, if somewhat inefficient."

Meg nodded her head, but said nothing else.

"I'm fine, master," Landon said. To his credit, he was the only apprentice not gasping for air. "Second tier spells like that are no longer a problem for me."

"Be that as it may, try not to limit yourself to constructed spells, boy," Eckart said pointedly. "They're versatile, but they lack the punch of Sourcery."

"And you, Nathan," Eckart finally addressed him. "I am impressed you can already reanimate bones on the spot, but a single skeletal warrior will do little by itself. Now you must choose whether to focus on controlling multiple weaker minions or a single, stronger one."

"Yes, master," Nathan answered, bowing his head. He'd already known the skeleton wouldn't be able to win by itself, but he didn't think the difference in power would be so huge.

"You're dismissed," Master Eckart said. "Good work overall. You may use the rest of the day as you see fit. The servants will call you for supper."

"Master, what about the Rhyhorn?" Landon asked.

"The binding spell has a safety component built into it," Eckart said. "If the summoned beast is ever in critical condition, it will be returned to its own world. Of course, when it is returned it will have to fend for itself, but it certainly will not die while on this side. As you can see, this one is still fine, but you're right. I have no further need of it."

Their master waved a hand and then brought his two hands together, releasing the magic that allowed the creature to stay in the world. It disappeared in a flash of light, back to wherever it had been summoned from.

Nathan stared at the crater he'd made to trap the monster, remembering how powerful it had been compared to his skeletal construct. As he moved to pick up the pieces of his shattered creation, a single thought dominated his mind: _I want one._

* * *

Author's Note: And there you have it. I hope you found it as interesting as it looked to me when I first thought of it. Let me know what you think, and hopefully I'll have the next chapter fleshed out soon.


	2. The Summoning

Author's Note: No, I didn't abandon the fic. I just need time to smooth things out a bit before releasing. Releases are going to be quite slow since I want this to be good.

* * *

The cavernous chamber made Nathan feel like an ant. In its center was a carved square roughly two feet lower than the rest of the chamber. Four stone pillars marked its corners, reaching from the ground to the ceiling. A stone podium which served as a control panel of sorts stood next to the square, facing it. In the center of the square was a magic circle, etched with various runes for keeping demons under control, but they didn't serve any purpose for Nathan today.

This was the summoning chamber Master Eckart used to call forth and bind demonic familiars. Nathan had seen it in action before, and knew the square of pillars would hold back all but the most powerful of entities. He swallowed nervously as he approached the podium, holding the tome his master had told them about under his right arm and a bottle of chilled water in his left hand. Originally he was going to summon a Rhyhorn like his master had, but after looking through the entries he'd decided on something a little more interesting.

Once the beast was out, it would be a battle of wills to see if he could control it, but the wards offered him ample protection so he should be safe even if it was beyond his power. Unlike more traditional wards which were always in effect, his master had designed this chamber such that they needed to recharge when not in use. He'd been told that this led to stronger barriers, but meant that it couldn't hold anything longer than a day before having to restore itself for a few hours. Fortunately for him, he only needed an hour, at most.

He suppressed the trembling in his body, placing the tome on the dais. The tome didn't have any pictures, merely describing the creature he was about to summon. It was a monster in its prime, with physical prowess that matched its cleverness. He pulled a lever on the dais, and waited as a barely-audible hum filled the air. To test if it was working correctly, he pulled a small stone from his pocket and tossed it into the square. There was a flash as the stone hit the invisible wall, falling back down to the ground.

Now certain that the barrier was active, Nathan began to recite the words of power for summoning, beckoning the monster forth from its own realm. At the end of the incantation, he spoke its name: Gallade.

A portal blinked into existence within the magic circle, much like it had during training, and a vaguely humanoid figure came through. Its body was white as snow, its hair the light green of grass. Its arms were shaped like natural weapons with blades in place of elbows.

"Gallade," it said, confirming he'd summoned the correct creature. Just as he felt like celebrating, however, a wave of exhaustion washed over his body. He crumpled forward, vision spinning as his breathing became labored. His skin burned with heat, as if he'd been walking in a desert for hours. Quickly he uncapped the bottle of water and gulped down its contents like his life depended on it. As sweat poured from his skin, he forced himself to stay conscious, gripping the stone dais until his fingers threatened to break against the rock.

In all those moments spent regaining his strength, the Gallade watched from within the invisible box, silently observing. After five minutes of gasping and almost passing out, Nathan finally managed to rise, albeit shakily.

 _Who are you?_ A male voice asked, firm and clear. Nathan nearly fell down again from shock. It seemed to come from all directions at once.

Instinct told him it was the Gallade speaking, but that should have been impossible. "You can talk?"

 _Clearly. Now, who are you?_

"My name is Nathan. I am your master now."

 _Fellow Pokémon speak of this. Of traveling to another world and being forced to serve. I thought they'd just been rambling about nightmares. I refuse. Send me back._

"You're not in a position to refuse. Obey."

Nathan felt a link form between him and the creature, just like with the skeleton. However, something was different. The creature was resisting, and the longer Nathan held on the more he felt his skull would split in two.

 _Send me back._ It was a command, not a request. The Gallade walked forward menacingly, but stopped when it hit the barrier. It poked at the wall with a finger before slashing at it with a bladed arm. The wall visibly rippled. It smiled at the reaction it had. The Gallade attacked again and again, each hit straining the wards harder.

Still, Nathan held firm. These wards could hold demons, and if his will couldn't overpower one monster, then what good was he? He redoubled his efforts, channeling energy into the mental link. To an outside observer, it would look as if he were simply staring at it, but he could feel its consciousness between his fingers, struggling like a hooked fish. Well, perhaps in the Gallade's case, it was more like he'd hooked a shark, and was desperately trying to hold on as it thrashed about.

The wards flashed almost constantly as the Gallade's blows came faster and faster. The light show hurt his eyes, and he was sure he'd go blind if he didn't let go soon, but he couldn't break his concentration or it would slip free completely. A sound like crumbling rock came from above, calling his attention for a moment. Nathan stared in mute horror as a small chunk of stone fell from one of the pillars, followed by another, an then another.

He didn't think it would be so powerful as to damage the wards! Realizing his folly, he promptly undid the summoning spell, and the Gallade disappeared in a cloud of smoke, back where it came. He could have sworn it was smirking just as it disappeared.

The quiet that followed made it seem like nothing had happened, but the young apprentice doubted he could ever forget what he'd just done. He shook with fear as he looked through the entry on Gallade again. Nowhere did it say anything about the monster being able to talk. He couldn't help but feel he'd just learned something new about these monsters. And it said something about Pokémon. Nathan had never heard the word before, but perhaps it was something worth looking up in the future.

Moving through the entry, something interesting caught his eye. The Gallade apparently grew from a weaker creature called a Ralts.

He stood stock still for a moment, letting his body recuperate while he thought. Perhaps the Ralts would be within his power to control. A part of him said he should just call it a day given he was drained from so much casting, but it wouldn't be good if he came in here too often. Master Eckart would wonder, and the last thing he needed was more suspicion cast upon him, seeing as how the old wizard barely trusted him with his amulet.

Steeling his resolve, Nathan began the incantation anew. It was easier this time, requiring a smaller amount of power. Nathan still felt hot afterwards but it was nothing a swig of water couldn't fix.

A tiny creature stood in the square. It seemed to be shaking where it stood. So this was a Ralts? It only vaguely resembled the warrior-like Gallade, having the same color pattern. Its arms ended in fingerless hands, but they didn't look like the sharpened ones the Gallade had. Nathan found it hard to believe it changed so much as it grew.

Just as he was about to reach his will out to it, a voice came from the door.

"Is someone there?" It was the familiar voice of his master. Nathan swore. He'd left the door open after coming in! If the Master found him in here with the wards turned on, he'd be in big trouble. In a moment of panic, he turned off the wards, remembering too late that the Ralts was still inside. He quickly rushed the little creature and picked it up, taking it with him as he hid behind one of the large pillars.

He waited, certain he'd be found out. Perhaps Eckart would make him clean the stables without magic, or worse. His eyes drifted to the little creature he held in his arms. A terrifying thought surfaced in his mind: What if Master Eckart thought he was summoning a monster to join the Reformists? The mere thought of what punishment would be brought down caused him to shudder. The Ralts seemed to be shuddering as well. For some reason, Nathan felt compelled to cover its mouth with his hand, and just in time, as the creature was about to cry out.

He debated casting an illusion spell to hide himself better, but realized Eckart would pick up on the shift in mana. That meant banishing it back quickly was out of the question as well. Nathan muttered a silent prayer as he heard footsteps approach.

"Could have sworn I heard something. Damned servants must have forgotten to close the door again," he heard Eckart mutter. He waited until the footsteps receded before chancing a peek around the corner.

It was then that he realized he was alone.

"Where did it-" he began to ask, then stopped, realizing no one would answer. He'd been holding on to it just a moment before! Alarm bells began to sound in his mind as he looked around the chamber, desperately hoping that the little monster was just playing hide and seek.

After a minute or so of fruitless searching, it was clear the Ralts had vanished, but he was sure he hadn't dismissed it. Wait, that was it! He just needed to find it through their mental link. Nathan slowed his breathing, trying to calm his nerves. He extended his consciousness outwards, trying to find the Ralts. Luckily, his interests called upon him to do this kind of thing often, although he'd never had to look for something farther than a few feet from him before.

Nathan felt the Ralts moving away from him, towards his lab. He attempted to bind it from where he stood, but found that the creature was too far away. He swore when he imagined what kind of damage the beast could do to his work if left unchecked. Wishing he knew the incantation for a Haste spell, Nathan broke into a sprint, hoping he'd get to his lab before the Ralts did. In his hurry, he nearly crashed into Caldwell, steward of Eckart House.

Caldwell was an older man with a head of black hair and a beard that covered the lower half of his face. The steward cast Nathan a measured look that sent chills down his spine. If the steward was pissed, he didn't show any outward indication of it.

"Young master, you seem to be in a hurry."

"I'm sorry, Caldwell," he said. "I just remembered I left something in my lab."

The servant turned his head to look in the direction of Nathan's lab, as if he could see exactly what was going on, and while Nathan was sure Caldwell wasn't a spellcaster, he was almost inclined to believe the servant could see something. Just as Nathan moved to get past him, the steward shifted, barring his path. It took all of his self control not to swear as the servant turned his attention back to him.

"I was just there." Those black eyes seemed to scan him, as if daring him to say the wrong thing. "You don't need to worry. Nothing was amiss."

"Erm. Is that so? Well thank you for checking, but I still need to go. I have..." he paused. "I have an experiment to run."

"Oh? Do tell me what it's about, young master," the servant said, crossing his arms. "I used to work for a necromancer, you know. Saw all sorts of things in the lab."

That piece of information turned out to be just enough to get him to stay awhile. Caldwell had never spoken to him about his past before. Nathan just assumed he'd been working for Master Eckart since his younger days. " Really? What was his name? Is it someone I know?"

"She went by a few titles. Perhaps you've heard of her. " The servant grinned, counting them off on his fingers. "The Black Princess, Dread Necromancer, Lady of Bones, The Risen…"

Nathan blinked, but not because he wasn't following. He'd known whom he was talking about from the very first one. Any wizard worth their salt had heard of Gregoria the Black. She was said to be one of the greatest necromancers of all time, bringing the world to the brink of destruction not once but twice. Although she'd been killed it was said she'd attained lichdom and returned stronger than ever before the gods and the people banded together to stop her.

Oh, he knew Gregoria alright, but what baffled him was how the servant was joking with such a serious expression. Gregoria lived in a time that predated written history, and most scholars agreed she never existed at all.

Unsure of how to react, Nathan laughed nervously. "Good one. Had me there for a second."

The steward grinned. "Honestly young master, you're too serious. You need to loosen up once in a while."

"Can't do that, Caldwell, you know how carelessness is the number one cause of wizard deaths."

"Oh, I do." Caldwell sighed. "Well, if you ever want me to share my old master's research with you, feel free to ask."

"I'll, uh, remember that." Nathan glanced in his lab's direction again. "Look, it was great talking to you but I should really head over to my lab before supper's ready."

"Of course, young master." The servant inclined his head. "Don't let me keep you."

He said his thanks and walked forward at a steady pace, casting quick glances behind him. And people thought he was weird.

When he was sure the servant had rounded the corner, he broke into a dead run, hoping the little monster hadn't completely wrecked his lab while he was occupied. He made a mental note to put a lock on the door going forward.

He turned the knob and entered his lab, briefly wondering how the little creature had managed to get past the door in the first place. The Ralts was lucky Master Eckart had specifically said not to place any trap wards on the doors.

His lab looked the same as he'd left it, which he had to admit, wasn't particularly appealing to anyone but himself. The smell of embalming fluid overpowered the senses, coming from the number of preserved bodies he kept around for his experiments. They largely belonged to frogs because they were cheap and rats made his skin crawl, although there was the occasional rabbit or human limb for when he needed to practice with something closer to human.

Beakers and flasks sat in rows on tables, their contents held safely by wooden corks. They gleamed dully in the light, various mixtures of black and other colors. He sighed in relief when it seemed nothing was broken. It was a huge privilege to be allowed a third room beyond living quarters and a study area, and he had no doubt Richard Eckart would take it back if Nathan ever made a mess. The old wizard had given him the room almost as soon as he'd gotten here and told him "Use it to make up for your shortcomings."

Master Eckart had chosen Megara for her aptitude with spontaneous spellcasting, or Sourcery, and Landon because he was a genius at learning complicated pre-constructed spells. Nathan had been chosen because he'd been doing poorly in class, and that was something his grandfather wouldn't allow for someone with Eckart blood in their veins.

Nathan Eckart Hughes was his name, and he had infinitely large shoes to fill because of it. He shook himself, remembering he had a task at hand.

"Ralts?" he called out, but mentally berated himself for it. He only needed to bind it to himself after all. He felt their mental link once more, trying to force the little beast into submission. Despite how it was far weaker than the Gallade had been, the Ralts seemed to evade him like a slippery eel, almost as if it could predict his moves, but Nathan kept at it anyway.

It popped its head out from under a table with a cry, making a run for the door.

"Oh, no you don't!" Nathan redoubled the compulsion. As long as he kept his concentration, the little monster would be his. It was just a matter of time.

Suddenly, something flew into Nathan's face, causing him to stumble backwards. He grabbed it and threw it down, expecting it to be some kind of wild animal. Instead, it turned out to be one of his books.

"What the-?" He blinked, realizing the Ralts was now out of sight and out of range, and then swore. He stormed out of the lab, looking for any sign of it but found none. Sighing, he began the process of tracking it with his mind once more.

He eventually felt its presence, several feet away from where he was. How was it moving around so quickly? Panic fluttered in his chest when he realized how dangerously close it was to Megara's room. If she found out he'd summoned a monster there was no telling how she would react. His pace increased, avoiding the curious stare of one of the servants as he passed by. He needed to find the Ralts before Megara did.

Nathan surprised himself with how quickly he managed to travel across the manor, led only by the vague psychic trail the Ralts left behind. The little thing was proving to be more trouble than it was worth. The trail led him towards one of the libraries, right next to Megara's room. He relaxed a little when he didn't hear anything suspicious. If Meg had found out, she'd have made a ruckus about it by now, surely.

He walked in, already beginning the incantation for a basic binding spell to keep the creature under control. It looked harmless enough, but he still had no idea how it kept getting away. The little white and green creature was seated on a desk, looking at an open book. The sight caused him to pause, wondering if the thing could read. He dismissed the thought when it flipped through two pages within fifteen seconds.

Surely it was just looking at the pictures. While it was distracted, he began the incantation anew, calling forth a rope of blue energy to wrap around it. He did this all very quietly, making the rope slither forward like a snake. If he startled it, it would probably run off again, and he doubted he'd be lucky enough to avoid discovery once more. The rope rose from the ground, inching towards it, and then it stopped and jerked in midair, as if held back by an invisible hand.

"Hello, Nathan," Megara said, wearing an insufferable smirk on her face.

* * *

Author's Note: As always, feedback would be appreciated, and if you want to put this on your story alerts please go ahead, since that's one way for me to see if people are interested in more. Thank you for reading.


	3. Friends

Author's Note: I apologize for the delay on this one. I was on vacation last weekend and didn't get to edit this chapter even though I wrote it like two weeks ago. As always, please tell me what you think.

"Leave it alone, Nathan." Megara sat in an easy chair, her hand raised in a fist as she held the enchanted rope back with her own magic.

"Meg, what are you doing? We need to capture it before-"

"No, we don't." Meg pointed at the Ralts with her free hand. "Does it look like it's going to hurt anyone?"

Nathan stared at her, incredulous. He followed her gaze towards the Ralts. It had turned around, the book closed on top of the desk. It stared at them through bangs so long they almost looked comical.

"Ralts!" It said, and although it was just its name, Nathan couldn't feel any harmful intent from it.

"It's like," Nathan paused, unsure if he wanted to believe what he was saying. "Like when you command elements. One word, but the thought behind it changes its meaning."

"Took you long enough," Megara said, releasing her hold on the snake-rope, which promptly fell to the ground before vanishing in a shower of sparks.

"How did you-"

"Sourcery is my thing, remember?" Meg rolled her eyes. "Unlike you and Landon, I only need five or six phrases to cast, but I can use each one a dozen different ways."

Nathan nodded. He used both Sourcery and constructed spells, but was outclassed by Meg in the former and Landon in the latter. He stared at the Ralts, finally understanding it was probably just curious about the new place he'd summoned it to.

"It's funny," Meg said. "I've never seen one this carefree before."

Nathan winced, but figured he might as well admit why. "I haven't bound it to me yet."

"I figured. Otherwise you wouldn't need the rope."

"I should actually do it now before-"

"Nathan, if you try to enslave that little creature I am going to set your lab on fire."

He blinked at her, not sure if she was joking or not. It wasn't worth the risk. She was right, after all. The Ralts hadn't hurt anyone since he'd summoned it, besides throwing a book at him, anyway.

"Alright, I'll send it back."

"Don't do that, either," Meg said.

"What are you-" Nathan paused, seeing the way Meg was fidgeting. She almost never did that. It took him a second to figure out why she was doing it now. "No. We are not keeping it."

"Oh come on! Look at it. It's adorable!"

"Ralts!" It smiled, almost as if on cue.

"If Master Eckart finds out he'll kick us out for sure!" Nathan protested. "Have you forgotten how he hates Reformists?"

"We're not Reformists. We'll keep it around as company, not as a weapon or a tool for using magic."

"You're seriously willing to risk your apprenticeship for a pet?"

"It's not a pet, Nathan." Meg pointed towards the creature again. "Let's just call it a friend."

"I don't know about this, Meg."

She frowned at the nickname, likely only noticing he was using one now, but didn't say anything about it. "Relax, will you?" She stood and walked over to the Ralts, patting its head. "You and the master are family. I doubt he'd throw you out, and unless he wants trouble every Council meeting, I doubt he'll be happy to tell my father my apprenticeship has been revoked."

He thought about that. Her father _was_ the head of the Circle Council. Not even an Eckart could throw her out for no reason.

"Well, maybe you're in the clear, but I don't think he'd have a second thought about throwing me to the wolves!" Nathan paced, wringing his hands behind him. "Did you forget he hates my dad? The only reason I'm even here is because he doesn't want someone with his blood becoming a laughing stock at the academy."

"That's exactly what I mean, though."

"What?"

"He's not going to cast you out because his name is on the line," Meg explained. "If he ousted an Eckart on grounds of being a Reformist, what would that do for his political image?"

It was true Master Eckart would never be willing to be associated with Reformists. "He could just say I was too ill-equipped to be his apprentice."

"And admit that not all of you Eckarts are amazing magicians?" Meg asked. "I doubt it."

"This is all just way too risky."

"Oh boy, you're going to hate the next thing I have to say, then," Meg said.

Nathan winced. She was probably right. Despite that, he had to ask. "What could you possibly say that I'd oppose more than keeping this thing?"

"I want one, too."

Well, she was right. He _did_ hate that.

* * *

It wasn't long until they were called for supper. A servant knocked on the study's door before calling to them. The two of them agreed bringing Ralts under the table and handing it scraps would be too risky, although Meg found the idea amusing.

Despite having dined here almost every night for three months, Nathan always felt awed by the sheer grandeur of the Eckart House's dining room, particularly compared to his own place, which wasn't terrible at all, but the difference was like night and day. His father had been thrown out of Eckart House, and his mother went after him, much to Richard Eckart's grief. Nathan loved his parents, but sometimes he wondered how his mother had managed to give all this up.

A massive fireplace took up a significant portion of the wall. Now that spring had come, it barely saw any use, but when Nathan first arrived it was ablaze every evening. The faces of the past heads of the house stared at them from portraits hung on the walls, all of them mages of the highest caliber. Nathan didn't know most of them beyond reading the names and titles on the plaques, but the idea that he was descended from such important figures always reminded him how much he was lacking. They sat at a long table that dominated the center of the room, easily capable of seating twenty people. Most nights, however, it only made the room feel vacant.

Sometimes Master Eckart would call over guests, but tonight only five people were in the room, and of those only four were seated and actually eating. Master Eckart was at the head of the table, sniffing gingerly at a glass of wine in his hand. Close by were his apprentices. Megara sat to his left while Landon was to his immediate right. Nathan was next to Landon, as far away from their master as possible without being obvious about it. Nathan held back a sigh. He needed to try harder, but he doubted he'd ever catch up to Meg or Landon.

Caldwell stood at the door, bearing a dignified air which he only ever seemed to put on when Master Eckart was around. When his master was present, he almost looked like a proper servant, but otherwise, he was as mischievous as Nathan had seen him earlier that day. Nathan had never asked where Eckart had found the man, but sometimes curiosity nagged at him enough to consider asking.

Meg caught his eye as he turned back to his plate. She shot him a questioning look, but he shook his head. It wasn't that important, and he didn't want to be the one to break the silence. That was usually Landon's job.

"Master Eckart," Landon spoke. "I know you mentioned this during practice, but do you really believe the Reformists would start a war with us?"

Eckart didn't answer immediately. "More likely that we'll start a war with them." Eckart took a sip of the black-red liquid in his glass. He turned his head towards Nathan. "Do you know why there is such animosity between us Traditionalists and the Reformists?"

Nathan thought for a moment, feeling his grandfather's gaze pierce his soul deeper with every second. "Because we have different methods?"

Master Eckart didn't even acknowledge his answer. "Because we have pride. We mages are capable of commanding fire, flying through the skies, and even raising the dead." Eckart gestured towards the portraits on the wall. "Just look at your heritage. Look how much we mages have achieved! Then that fool Reeve learns how to summon those infernal beasts and suddenly we're talking about reforming our curriculum and changing everything."

"What exactly are they proposing?" Nathan asked.

"They want to make summoning these monsters mandatory learning, for starters," Eckart said. "First they just wanted to make summoning and using them a separate field of study, but when we gave them ground there, they only pushed harder."

"Are there a lot of Reformists?"

"Thankfully, not yet." Eckart took another sip. "It's mostly Reeve and his friends, but they've never been the best mages, so I can see why they would want to have these little pets."

"I'm sorry, master, but I don't see the problem. Necromancy and other summoning magic have been around for ages. What makes this new magic different?"

Of course, thinking back to the event with the Gallade, Nathan thought he had some idea, but there wasn't any need to mention that now, especially not in front of Master Eckart.

Eckart sighed, and then spoke slowly, as if talking to a child. "It took you several weeks to even get a skeleton up, correct?"

Nathan winced, but nodded.

"Demonology takes an even longer amount of preparation and study," Eckart explained. "These monsters on the other hand, could be summoned by a child if he had the mana capacity for it. Think about what that means."

"I think what Master Eckart is saying," Landon said. "Is that the Reformists are wondering why we even need to study magic if we can just have these monsters do things for us."

"That's ridiculous," Nathan said, finally getting it. "They're strong, sure, but that doesn't mean we should just rely on them!"

"Precisely." Eckart's lips curled into a grimace. "This would also ruin the meritocracy upon which our society is based. Reeve is only on the Council because he's an excellent businessman, but his skill in magic is lacking. The powerful beast in his possession has changed things. He's managed to gain more support than he should be able to on his own, largely from those less skilled in magic. If we don't weaken his position soon, I'm afraid it'll be only a matter of time before only the strongest of us are left wanting to preserve our ways."

"And that's why you think there will be war soon?" Landon asked.

"I'm sure of it," Eckart said. "One of these days, one of my colleagues will feel threatened enough to strike more directly, and when that happens, Reeve will have the pretext he needs to incite rebellion."

"Not to worry, master," Megara said, breaking her silence. "My father would never allow such a thing to happen."

Their master actually smiled at that. "I'll be sure to tell Councilor Wilson his daughter has such faith in him. Now, enough of this talk. It's ruining my appetite."

* * *

Two days later, Nathan, Meg and Ralts were in Meg's room, which was a lot less furnished than Nathan had expected. After all, Meg was the heir to one of the strongest mage families in the world, but her room had less extras than his. A four-poster bed was the centerpiece of the room, with an oak desk and chair next to it. There was also a bookshelf, but since they mostly did their reading in the study rooms, it was a little bare. Other than that, it was exactly as it had been when they'd arrived months ago.

Ralts was currently reading one of Meg's books, clearing up Nathan's misgivings about its intelligence. It spent about half of its time in his room, and the other in Meg's. Initially it seemed dangerous to have it traveling through the halls every day, but then Nathan realized how it had evaded him so easily. The Ralts could _teleport_.

Ralts closed its book, this time one on basic Trap Wards, having finished it. Then it vanished in a flash of blue light, and reappeared with a new book in hand. The two apprentices had tried communicating with it after Nathan had told Meg about the Gallade, but it seemed the little Ralts couldn't quite talk yet. The thought that they were planning on keeping it a secret until it could speak unnerved him somewhat, but now that he'd seen what it could do, curiosity got the better of him.

Teleportation alone was a feat of magic not taught at the academy. It was a unique spell that took months to learn and even then it wasn't something you could just do with little effort, unless you fancied teleporting into a rock. To Ralts, it seemed almost as natural as walking. It probably had some limitations, but Nathan had no way of knowing what they were.

He wondered what else it could do, but then remembered the awe-inspiring Gallade. Was it really such a good idea to keep it until it grew that powerful? What if it went on a rampage? Nathan shook his head to clear his thoughts. They'd cross that bridge when they got there.

Meg sat in front of her dresser, wearing a cloth shirt and shorts. When they were back in the academy, Meg had always dressed in whatever was currently fashionable , but ever since arriving in the Eckarts' ancestral home, she'd stuck to more practical outfits that allowed better movement, like trousers and shorts.

She muttered a quick spell and her hair changed from light pink to leaf green. This seemed to draw the Ralts' attention, as it looked up from its book. Meg grinned, and then cast again. This time it turned fire red. She went through a number of colors, and Nathan couldn't help but think she'd turned her hair into a flashing rainbow.

"That's magic, Ralts," Nathan explained. "It's a power we use by channeling the mana in the air."

Finally, Meg settled on a deep, ocean blue and the Ralts clapped its hands. A twinge of jealousy pulled at Nathan's heart. Despite him bringing the Ralts into the world, it seemed to prefer Meg's company.

As if sensing his distress, the Ralts turned around and smiled at him. What was wrong with him? He was getting upset over nothing. Still, despite his earlier reaction, he was starting to find the thought of Meg getting her own creature appealing, if only so he could spend more time with Ralts.

Nathan and Ralts had their own bonding moments, too, though they tended to take place in Nathan's lab which Meg largely refused to visit. Not everyone had the stomach for Necromancy, but it was an Eckart family specialty and he was determined to master it.

He was presently taking his master's advice to heart and figuring out if he wanted to specialize in swarming tactics or using more powerful undead. Five bone piles sat in front of him, each a full skeleton. Meg had protested him bringing them into her room, but when he said they could always hang out in his lab instead, she conceded. He cast the spell for assembling and animating a skeleton, watching as the first set of bones came to unlife. The second pile soon joined it, and then a third, but by then, Nathan was breathing so hard he couldn't even speak the spell again.

He swore under his breath. He was never going to impress his grandfather with only three skeletons. He released the spell, letting the bones fall back down to the ground. A floating glass of water nearly gave him a heart attack before he realized Ralts was trying to help.

Nathan patted its head, accepting the offering.

"What am I going to do, Ralts?" he asked. "I bet Landon could raise ten of these at once and he's not even trying to be a Necromancer."

Perhaps he should just try summoning a stronger creature. Still, if he was struggling with skeletons, what were the odds he could control a ghoul or wight?

Times like these made him wonder if Master Eckart had been right all along. The old wizard often said his mother had made a mistake by marrying a non-mage, that tainting the bloodline meant weakening its capacity for converting mana. Was he doomed to be a second-rate magician after all?

"Ralts!" The creature's call broke him from his reverie. It pointed a finger at the bone piles, only, Nathan realized, they were floating in midair. The Ralts was assembling them manually using its powers.

Or so it tried. It must not have been familiar with the human skeleton, as it put together several pieces incorrectly, creating a floating pile of bones more than anything looking remotely like a skeleton. Still, the sight brought a smile to his lips. It really wasn't so bad to have it around if he could ignore the feeling of impending doom he got whenever he imagined being discovered with it.

It started taking parts from the other skeletons and adding them in, as well, making one giant ball of bones. Well, he couldn't fault its effort, but the bones had long stopped looking human and-

The thought gave Nathan pause. The Ralts had assembled a four-legged, four-armed skeleton using three piles of bones. He looked at the Ralts, and then back to the construct.

"Ralts!" It pointed at the skeleton, and then at Nathan's amulet.

"You want me to animate that?"

"I don't," Megara said. "One skeleton is bad enough."

Nathan thought on it. There wasn't any harm in trying. There were three spells for bringing a dead body to life. The first, most basic one, Animate Dead, allowed the caster to reanimate a dead body. The second, Raise Dead, pulled together usable parts and then raised them, which was what most people did for convenience. The last, Wake Dead, which Nathan couldn't do yet, did the same as the second, but to multiple bodies at once.

Nathan cast a Reinforcement spell on the bones, holding them in place like they'd been slathered with glue. Then, he recalled the words for Animate Dead, which he didn't often use because of the effort of assembling bodies. The bones came to life as he finished casting, rising on four legs as if they were a single entity instead of three bodies sewn together. Nathan couldn't help but stare in awe as the construct knelt back down, awaiting command. In his mind, it registered as a single being, denoted by having only one consciousness linked to his.

"Ralts?" The little creature looked to him. He patted it on the head.

"I am really starting to like having you around."

"Told you it was a good idea to keep it," Meg added. "Say, you think your new toy is up for some practice?"

Nathan could only grin at the suggestion.

###

A flurry of fire and lightning attacks soared through the air, leaving craters all over the training yard. Nathan's new construct dodged most of them, and what few landed scored very little in the way of damage.

"Wow, okay, I have to admit," Megan paused. "That thing is stronger than the last one you made."

"I know! And it took less mana than the last one, too!" Nathan was beside himself. Finally, he'd made some progress! Or rather, Ralts had handed it to him. The little creature was currently in Nathan's lab, since they didn't want to risk it being in the open. He only wished it could see how well their creation was doing.

"I don't believe it. That Ralts is a genius!" He gave a command and the Skeletaur - that's what they'd decided to call it on account of looking like a centaur - galloped forward, charging Megara. She rolled out of the way, surprising him with her physical ability before he remembered she always got high grades in Physical Ed.

"I don't understand why you didn't just call on something bigger in the first place." Meg casually flung another barrage at it. The Skeletaur was strong, but she wasn't in any real danger. "I mean why don't you necromancers just reanimate a dragon or something?"

"Oh, it's not that easy," Nathan explained. "Raising anything bigger than a human takes a lot of mana, often so much that it becomes impractical, so instead necromancers raise strong humanoids like ghouls and death knights. A necromancer could burn to a crisp trying to raise a dragon and it would never move."

"Wasn't Gregoria supposed to have a dracolich, though?" Meg dodged as the Skeletaur slammed its fists down.

"Gregoria is a myth," Nathan said. "And even if she had been real, she was supposedly a prodigy and then a lich. No telling what kind of power that gives."

"So if you turned into a lich, could you do it?"

Despite himself, Nathan shuddered. "Lichdom comes at the price of your soul. No magic is worth that."

"Still, this," she paused. "Skeletaur? Whatever you call it. It's pretty good. Do you want me to keep testing its defenses or shall we stop before I break it?" A ball of fire formed in her hand, but she held on to it.

"Nah, I'm good," Nathan said. "Thanks for helping me test it."

The Skeletaur stopped its movements, moving to stand beside its master. At the same time, the ball of fire winked out of existence.

"No problem. I wanted to see what it could do, too."

"I think Ralts is on to something with these bone golems. Maybe I'll try to make another one."

"When you finish it, call me. I'll put it through the wringer."

"Oh, I will," he promised.

* * *

Five days later, Nathan found himself once again within the Summoning Chamber. Only this time, he wasn't alone. Meg came along, or rather, she was the one who dragged him here in the first place. Ralts was staying in his room, presumably occupied with a book. It had gone through all of Meg's books within two days, and was currently halfway through Nathan's collection.

"Okay, it looks like the coast is clear," Meg said, closing the door behind them.

"I still can't believe we're actually doing this."

"Calm down, will you? We'll just summon something small and befriend it like we did Ralts."

"If anyone finds out what we're doing in here-"

"If anyone comes in, we'll pretend we're making out."

"Wait wha-"

"Just kidding. I'd rather get kicked out."

Nathan felt his face go red and looked away. "Be more serious, will you?"

"Relax. Wait, actually, don't relax, and keep watch."

Megara walked over to the pedestal and activated the wards. Despite being here to make a new friend, neither of them were foolhardy enough to actually summon anything without protection. No sooner than the barriers came up, however, she screamed.

Nathan turned around and froze as a giant, shadowy hand came down from the ceiling and scooped Meg up. She struggled against it, but it was useless.

"Hang on, Meg!" Nathan quickly chanted a spell of Magic Arrow, sending blasts of energy at the shadowy construct, but it held firm, undamaged by the attack.

Damn it, he thought. What is that thing?

Just as he was about to try a stronger spell, there was a knock on the door. Nathan winced, realizing what was happening. Master Eckart walked into the Summoning Chamber looking very cross. Caldwell trailed after him, shooting a conspicuous grin at Nathan as he took in the situation.

"Master, I can expl-"

"Now, now, my apprentice," Eckart interrupted. "You'll want to keep quiet for a bit before you say anything that can get you in deeper trouble."


	4. Introspection

Author's Note: So I've been taking some time to figure out who my characters actually are. The first three chapters have been edited for consistency, but no real changes to how the story goes. To be truthful I actually have the next two chapters more or less written but they'll be going through the wringer before I put them up for viewing. Anyhow, enjoy and please let me know your thoughts, as always.

* * *

"Release," Master Eckart said, and the shadowy hand returned Meg to the ground softly before disappearing into the ceiling.

"Master, I-" Meg began, but old wizard cut her off.

"I would have known if it was Nathan who'd been using the Chamber without permission, but I didn't think you would be roped up in this as well, Megara."

Nathan blinked. "Wait, what are you talking about-"

"Do you deny that you've used the chamber before today?"

Nathan shut his mouth, remembering almost getting caught when he'd summoned Ralts.

"As you know, I frown upon putting trap wards on things in the house," Eckart said. "They have a tendency to injure servants doing their jobs, but I figured it was necessary this time to teach you two a lesson. A few days days ago, I _knew_ I heard the wards come on, but dismissed it as a figment of my imagination. However, two days ago, I heard them again. Before I could see who it was, the interloper escaped, but that time I was sure the Chamber had been activated. Do you know why?"

Nathan shook his head.

"The wards had been damaged. I don't know what it was you were trying to summon, but I keep telling you magic is not a toy. If it could damage the wards, then it sure as hell was beyond your power to control."

"That wasn't us! We didn't use the chamber-"

"More lies? Then what were you doing in here, hm?" Eckart asked. He pointed at Meg, who was trying to keep the tome behind her back. "Let me see that."

Meg nodded, handing it over. Nathan had never seen her so cowed before.

"A creature, was it?" Eckart's fists clenched. "Ingrateful brats! After all I've done for you, you're studying the enemy's methods."

"Exactly, Master!"

Eckart was taken aback. "You admit it?"

"We..." he paused, not sure what he could say. "We wanted to summon the strongest monsters in the Reformists' arsenal, to see what they could do." It was a lie, but he had a feeling Eckart would buy it. "We were humbled by how we nearly lost against that Rhyhorn the other day, and wanted to improve."

Eckart paused, his brow furrowed with thought. "Even so, you could have asked for my guidance, not to mention my _permission_."

"We're sorry, master." Nathan bowed his head in submission. He silently prayed his master would be satisfied with his explanation. "We were afraid you would think we were joining the Reformists."

He kept his head down as Eckart considered his words. He didn't know how long he stood there staring at the stone floor, but it felt like an hour to him, at l least.

Finally, Eckart passed his judgment. "Very well, I'll let you off this time, but no more unauthorized usage of the Chamber. Next time you use it, call me and I will observe. I know a lot more about these beasts than you two, after all."

* * *

Nathan and Meg returned to Meg's room, where Ralts was currently staying. As usual, it had buried itself inside a book, and only briefly looked up when they entered.

"That was quick thinking," Megara said once the door was closed.

"Thanks, but I wonder who actually used the room," Nathan said. "You think it was Landon?"

"Could be, but I don't think Landon would make a mistake like that. Do you?"

"No, but do you think we should ask him?" Even as he said it, Nathan realized how stupid that was.

"Would it matter if we did?" Meg asked.

No. No it wouldn't. Nathan shook his head. Landon would never tell anyone he was wrong.

"Besides, I haven't seen him since yesterday," Meg added.

"Alright. We'll worry about the Summoning Chamber later. I'm sorry we couldn't get a creature for you."

"It's alright. There'll be other chances," Meg said with a wink.

"Do I want to know?"

"Probably not."

"Well, alright, I'll leave you to it for now. I need to run some tests on the Skeletaur," Nathan said. He wasn't looking forward to it as much as he'd have liked. Before Ralts had intervened, he'd been going nowhere with his necromancy, but perhaps now, he'd be able to come up with a way to get better. Still, he felt tired.

Right as he reached the door, however, Meg stopped him.

"You know, you've changed since we got here."

Nathan blinked. "How so?"

"When we were at the Academy all you could think of was that game you guys played, with the little rock golems. What was it called again? Clay Builders?"

"Clay Fighters." A smile tugged as his lips as he remembered it. "Although most of the time we didn't use clay. I usually used rock. It's how I got so familiar with working Earth Sourcery, actually."

"Really?" Meg quirked an eyebrow. "How does that work? Earth is my weakest element."

Despite knowing he needed to study, he closed the door. Clay Fighters had been his whole world before coming to Eckart House.

"Well, you know how we make the figures fight, right? In little colosseums built with magic?"

Meg nodded as she moved to sit back down on one side of a table. Nathan did the same on a seat opposite.

"They're actually little golems that you control to beat each other up. Lately, they've been selling pre-made ones in stores, but back when I first started playing, we had to make our own."

"Wait, you _made golems_ for a game?"

"Well, they were small." He raised his palm about a foot over the table. "The biggest ones were roughly this tall. You could make a bunch of improvements to them, though. I used to spend entire afternoons just shaping my stuff. Me and the others started off with just these barely-humanoid lumps of clay with arms and legs, but before you and I left school I was making these cool miniature monster ones. I had a dragon, and a gryphon, and a minotaur. They moved like they were supposed to, too."

"Well, that explains why you always got top grades in Shaping." Meg leaned into her hand, gazing at the window. "Landon always complained about how he was the best in everything except Sourcery and Shaping."

Nathan looked away, suddenly feeling the color flush his cheeks. "Well, when you spend all of your time on one thing, you tend to get good at it. I'm probably rusty. I haven't played since we got here."

"And what have you been spending all your time on since we got here?"

Nathan sighed. "Studying necromancy. Took me weeks just to get that one skeleton spell working."

"Maybe you just need a break."

He smiled, but shook his head. "I need to get better. Catch up to-"

"To?"

He'd been about to say he wanted to catch up to her and Landon, but now that they were talking so comfortably with each other it seemed like a stupid thing to say.

"I - I need to catch up on my studies. I was always neglecting them for Clay Fighters back in the Academy. No time for that here."

Meg stared at him in silence for a long while, her hazel eyes scanning his until he was forced to look away. "It's more than just working at it," she finally said.

"What?"

"You've been doing nothing but necromancy experiments and spell practice for three months, even on the weekends." Meg looked away. "That hasn't worked out for you."

He held her gaze for a moment. If she knew why did she ask what he'd been doing? "No, listen, I just need more practice. It's never really been an interest of mine-"

"So why are you doing it?"

He sighed. "I don't really..." he paused, licked his lips, and then swallowed. His blood started to heat as they moved into the topic. "I don't really feel comfortable talking about it."

"Alright, say no more," Meg said. "But, I really think you should go play Clay Fighters for an afternoon or something."

"I can't play Clay Fighters by myself." He cupped his chin in thought. "Well, actually, I could, maybe give one of the golems limited autonomy or -"

"Play against me, then." Meg leaned forward, using her hands as a headrest. "Help me build my own golem, and we'll have them fight it out."

"I-"

"I need to improve my Earth Sourcery, anyhow," she said.

"Yeah, alright. We can try that some time. Hey, uh, thanks for the talk, but..." he trailed off, not sure what he wanted to do.

"Go on. Let's talk about those golem lessons soon, okay?"

Nathan nodded, stood and turned to leave. Just as he reached the door, Meg stopped him again.

"And Nathan?"

"Yeah?"

"Thanks for getting us out of that mess earlier."

"No problem."

* * *

Nathan opened the door to his lab gently, checking if the trap ward on the door had been triggered. While the Master forbade the use of such spells, Nathan figured if the spell didn't actually cause anything to happen, using one to check if anyone had entered his lab was alright. He looked at his assembled collection of substances and petrified body parts and sighed. Meg was right. Life had changed quite a bit for him ever since Master Eckart had taken him in as an apprentice.

He'd been sure he'd never be picked, especially after his mother had fallen in love with the former guard captain of Eckart House, but right after picking Landon and Meg, sure enough, his grandfather had chosen him.

He hadn't known how to feel about it back then, and to an extent he still didn't know how he felt about it now, but things had never been the same. While he still had friends back in the academy, Eckart House was miles away from the capital, on land owned by their family. He'd neither seen nor heard from them since, but he'd been focusing on improving his necromancy, anyhow. With Ralts along, however, he finally felt like he had friends again.

Did Meg consider him a friend, too? She'd always been more popular back at the Academy. The Brightmores were one of the better wizard families, with a bloodline strong in magic, and Meg was no exception. While she did well enough in all of her subjects, she excelled in Sourcery the most, and it brought her a lot of attention, both from friends and admirers. She and Nathan didn't exactly move in the same circles. While the Eckarts were a great family, his grandfather had refused him the right to wear his mother's original surname. Now all three of them were Hughes, after his father, but Nathan didn't mind. He doubted he could have handled all the attention the name brought with it. Nathan Hughes had just been another boy who happened to be great at Clay Fighters, but things were different now.

He shook himself. He couldn't spend his time idling about with thoughts of the past. The Skeletaur stood before him, still as a rock. Unlike most undead which seemed to imitate a living state, it was perfectly immobile. Skeletons and zombies moved around even when not commanded, almost as if they still needed to breathe and stuff, but the Skeletaur acted less like typical undead and more like a golem.

Wait. It _did_ function like a golem. The gears in his head began to spin as he thought of the implications. He was a great Clay Fighter, and if the Skeletaur worked just like his old golem toys...

He left his lab in a hurry, wearing a smile that reached his eyes for the first time in months.

###

Megara Brightmore sat in a lotus position on the carpeted floor of her study with a book open in front of her, but she wasn't really reading it. The book was "Pre-constructed Spells for Second Years" by Charles Reynolds, and thought it contained a number of spells she could probably cast, it held nothing of interest to her. Suffering through the first book to learn basic spells was bad enough, but now that she knew the essential ones like Heal, Refresh, and Message, she didn't see much point in continuing on.

It was actually one of her reasons for accepting Richard Eckart's invitation. If she'd stayed at the Academy, learning pre-constructed spells was a requirement for most of her subjects, and while she wasn't terrible at them, she'd more than once had to resort to writing them down on her wrists, beneath her sleeves. Once she'd even written them down on the ceiling the day before a practical test. Why did she need to know how to cast Magic Arrow when she could incinerate things at will? It was ridiculous. She could shoot half a dozen fire bolts in the time it took for a mage to recite the spell for Magic Arrow.

Well, it wasn't that she didn't want to learn some of the spells. Sourcery was great for offense, but there was a limit to what the elements could do. Earth could shield. Water could cleanse and heal to an extent, but not as well as the actual Heal spell. No, it definitely wasn't that she didn't want to. She just had no talent for remembering the words. Sourcery was easy. A single Command, a thought showing what she wanted the element to do, and it was done. Her mana capacity was significantly better than the average mage thanks to constant practice and regular exercise.

No, she needed to stick to what she was good at. She closed her yes, took a deep breath, and began to clear her thoughts.

She meditated in silence for 20 minutes, allowing her mind to refresh itself. It was akin to brushing out the tangles in one's hair, and she did it at least once a day to keep her mind sharp. Once she was done, she opened her eyes to find Ralts mimicking her position. It brought a smile to her lips. She let it sit like that for a few minutes, observing it.

She had a talent for reading people. Their bodies tended to give away more information than their words. Nathan had been in agony for weeks, if not months, so she'd figured he needed a pep talk. Still, she hadn't thought it would wind up with her wanting to try playing his little golem game, too. It was a pleasant thought, even though she wasn't someone who particularly enjoyed trying new things. Despite it not being human, Ralts was similar enough that she could read it, too.

Ralts was an explorer. She didn't know if all of them were like this, but this one particular Ralts had a want for seeing new places and trying new things that she did not, and it wasn't foolhardy about it, either. In the week or so that it had stayed with them, the Ralts never left their rooms or libraries without accompaniment, content to read through all the books they could find for it. What would happen once they ran out? Meg looked towards that future with a mix of dread and curiosity. She looked at the clock on the wall. It was half past five - time for her daily calisthenics.

"Okay, Ralts, let's go back to my room now, alright?"

"Ralts!"

* * *

Nathan couldn't help but grin as he brought out something from home he hadn't touched in months. It had taken him half an hour to sort through his belongings and find it, but now that he saw it again, he knew it was worth it.

Within a small box, a stone lion roughly the size of a kitten stood motionless, except this lion had two extra heads. One was a goat, sprouting up from a position a little behind the lion, and the other was a snake, taking the place of what would have been its tail. He'd spent a week shaping the figure from a block of stone, then an afternoon coloring it in. The base body he'd just magicked into being brown, but he'd carefully painted the heads by hand using a brush. Seeing it now brought back memories of the small golem tearing apart the creations of his classmates in friendly bouts.

Next to it was his Control Rod, a small, black obelisk that non-mages often mistook for a wand. The name was mileading, actually. Its function was more of activation than control. He touched the rod to the lion's head and spoke the command phrase "Red Sun." Each golem had a command phrase, and it took both a Rod and the phrase to either turn it on or shut it down.

Blue light blazed from the three sets of eyes on the figure, each head turning to view their surroundings, mimicking what Nathan had imagined an actual Chimera would be like. The creatures were rare and he'd never seen one in his life outside of pictures in books and vivid descriptions. It was one of his first Clay Fighters, and definitely among his favorites. Feeling his link with it tugging in his mind, he smiled as he gave into the temptation of controlling it for the first time in months.

When he opened his eyes, he was surrounded by walls on all sides. He crouched down for momentum and then sprang up, landing gracefully on his four paws outside of the box. He looked up, staring at himself. His physical body was rigid, as if in a trance, and in a way, that's exactly what Assimilation was. His mind had melded with the Chimera's, if only temporarily. He stretched himself out, the animal body feeling stiff after months of dormancy, but then again, it _was_ made of stone.

He took a running start and jumped over to his dresser, reveling in the inhuman power a golem body provided him, and then lay down. His problems seemed so far away when he was in this form, and yet he knew he couldn't take a cat nap forever. Perhaps for now, however, a little rest wouldn't hurt.

A knock on his door broke Nathan out of his restful position. Quickly, he pulled his consciousness back from the Chimera, re-entering his own body. He wiped off a bit of drool before answering.

"Yes, who is it? I'm busy," he said.

"Master Nathan," Caldwell's voice called from the other side of the door. "You have a visitor waiting in the parlor."

"Who is it?" Nathan asked. He never got visitors.

"It's your mother."

* * *

Author's Note: There will be a lot more Pokemon appearing starting next chapter. That being said, I was wondering if people would like to provide suggestions for Pokemon they think should appear. I mean we have almost 800 Pokemon now and I certainly can't make all of them show up. If there's a Pokemon that you think deserves some screen time, leave a comment and I'll give it some thought. Please lean away from legendaries. They'd break things far too easily.


End file.
